JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Last season, the Provine football team finished fourth in Class 5A, Region 3, securing the final playoff spot in the region.
Despite being eliminated in the first round, making the playoffs was a positive step for the Rams as it was the first time the team reached the playoffs since 2019.
This year, head coach Tim Wilson is focused on playing fundamental football to get to the postseason again.
“Offensively, we want to be somewhat balanced when it comes to running and passing, we want to make plays, we want to be physical and disciplined,” Wilson said. “Just like everyone else, our defense gives us a hard time every day in practice, they’re a little ahead, but we want to be solid, we want to be smart, play fast and physical and be disciplined as well. Hopefully we can balance that on both sides of the ball this season.”
In the first weeks of the fall, Wilson prepared his players hard for the games.
“I was pretty rough with them, I was probably the bad cop every day,” he said. “I believe in testing them every day; we’re a young team and our guys need to be battle tested. You can’t simulate the speed of the game or a game, but you want to create that environment as best you can in practice, you want to put them in the situations they’re going to be in in the game and see how they react. The more they’re involved in those situations, the better they’re going to be.”
“He gets on our nerves a lot, but he does it because he wants us to get better,” said senior center Dennis Jones. “He’s always pushing us, testing us and trying to make us the best team we can be.”
This year, the Rams need to focus and work on dealing with adversity – something Jones believes they didn’t do well last season.
“Many of us like to give up when things get tough,” he said. “We can’t always give up when things get tough, we have to keep going, we have to make everything better.”
The Rams’ first opponent in 2024 is Callaway on Friday at Hughes Field. The JPS rivalry makes the start of the season a very special duel.
“I haven’t beaten them in about three years, so that’s always in the back of our minds,” Wilson said. “Callaway is kind of the up-and-coming team right now, so I’m really excited about the opportunity and chance to play with them.”
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